Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I dedicate this blog entry to Christy, who scoffed at my previous entry of "TWO LINES?!?!"

Last night, I stayed up till 8am writing a 10 page paper on the possibilities and limitations of German-speaking Jewish women's domestic power derived from their roles in the observance of kashrut, or Jewish dietary laws, in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Perhaps it was all the pages I came across during my research that discussed bagels, challah and other carby delectables, or the fact that I was haggard and starving after turning the paper in, but in any case I had a hankering for some bread.

As I walked from Nau to Clemons library, I did two things: I sweated like a menopausal woman because I had dressed for cold rainy weather when in reality it was 70 degrees with 80 percent humidity, and I thought about how dang hungry I was. Alas, I had to go to Clemons for a different class to watch Journeys with George, which is a really crappy home video-style documentary on George Dubya Bush's 2000 Presidential campaign. Nancy Pelosi's daughter filmed it with a camcorder, and she was kinda-sorta-really awkward and obnoxious throughout the film. I was simply reminded of how campaign rallies rallied around nothing and how the traveling press, endearingly referred to as "The Pack," were miserable and submissive. I learned that political campaigns could be likened to a bologna and cheese sammich (George's meal of choice on the road), for what it's worth.

After wasting 79 minutes of my life, my stomach started to growl like it was about to hurt somebody if I didn't feed it soon. I could've gone for a bologna and cheese sandwich, but I'd bookmarked a recipe for soft pretzel bites while watching the documentary. I knew exactly what I was going to do when I got home.

For cinn-sugar pretzel bites, simply brush bites with butter while hot and dip in cinnamon and sugar in ratio of choice (maybe even add a pinch of salt to bring the flavor out). For garlic-herb bites, brush bites with a combination of melted butter and your favorite herbs + garlic powder (or freshly minced garlic).

Photo credit: Loosey

I used the same dough to make cinnamon sugar pretzel bites and garlic-herb pretzel bites. They were really good! The taste and pillowy but chewy texture remind me of Auntie Anne's pretzels, which are exactly how I think good soft pretzels should be. The recipe was super easy as well.

Photo credit: Loosey

While these pretzel bites would be deemed non-kosher, or trefah (treif or treyf in Yiddish), they were a delicious ending to my late-night, self-induced suffering that was my HIEU/RELJ/GETR research paper. I guess I'm blessed to be Christian because butter really makes the pretzels. Lawl.

Thank God I'm done with the paper! The rest of the week will be easier. Mazel tov :D

Random food fact of the day: While researching in a Jewish library in Paris, Claudia Roden was approached by a Jewish man from Alsace. He claimed that Alsace had the best Jewish food in France and gave her several recipes, including one for a creamy onion tart (tarte aux oignons d'Alsace). The tart is now one of Roden's favorite recipes. If you want it, let me know.